Busy Year Ahead For Dressage Star  Kasey Perry-Glass

Top dressage rider Kasey Perry-Glass was five years old when she hopped on her first horse. The steed was kept at a local barn, which her mother visited as a getaway from the kids. It was not quite an escape, however, since the 5-year-old, along with her brother and four sisters, followed their mother to the stable. Soon after, Perry-Glass got her first pony, and she has been making history ever since.

Dressage competitions dot the globe, and as elite equestrian competitors, the Olympic bronze medalist and her horses are international travelers.

“I’ve been over in Europe for the last three summers now, competing on Nations Cup teams, Olympic teams and events like that for selections,” Perry-Glass said.

The winter months signal a calmer time for her horses, which have earned a well-needed travel break when Perry-Glass settles down in Wellington.

Though “settles down” isn’t quite an accurate description of her time here.

Neither Perry-Glass nor her bay, Dublet, rest on their laurels, but rather take advantage of the milder temperatures and top local competitions to prepare for the next big, international event.

“In the coming winter months, I will be competing to, hopefully, get a spot on the World Equestrian Games team,” Perry-Glass said.

Tryon, N.C., is the site for the 2018 World Equestrian Games, where Perry-Glass hopes to gain a little bit of a home-court advantage when the equestrian world heads to the United States next September.

“[Tryon is] known for having great facilities, and now it’s just about preparing them for the WEG and being able to accommodate all the horses and grooms and riders,” Perry-Glass said. “I think that they really have a good layout there to make our country look really good.”

As a young girl, Perry-Glass learned to ride western style and went on to hunter/jumpers. As she grew, so did her love for horses and her desire to compete. An introduction to Pony Club, the equestrian educational organization, fueled her affection.

“It is a great organization that helps kids get involved with horses in a healthy way; to really learn the basics about anatomy, the care, the riding part,” Perry-Glass said. “They really go over a large spectrum of the horse and the discipline.”

Over the course of her career, Perry-Glass has been under the tutelage of top professionals in the field of dressage. She connected with Carmela Richards’ Oak Creek Training Stables in California. It was there that Perry-Glass gained many friends with the same interest, including many competing at high levels of eventing.

Richards introduced Perry-Glass to her first dressage trainer, Gina Duran. Under 10 years of Duran’s watchful eye, Perry-Glass competed extensively, increasing her desire to compete on a higher level.

“It kind of spiraled into me wanting to be international and really push for a career in it,” Perry-Glass said.

At the level at which she would go on to compete, Perry-Glass would require an incredible horse with which to partner. Dressage coach and trainer Christophe Theallet traveled to Europe with her to find that perfect horse. They came back to the United States with Dublet.

The gelding proved to be the right choice, as he and Perry-Glass forged a winning partnership at the 2016 Rio Olympics.

The pair were further established as a force in international dressage with a seventh place dressage Grand Prix finish at the 2017 FEI World Cup Final in Omaha, Neb., in March — one of only three Americans to land in the top 10.

Olympian Debbie McDonald has been Perry-Glass’ coach for the last three years and is credited with getting the now 30-year-old to the Olympics last year. They met the prior year in Europe, where Perry-Glass was on the Pan American Games selection team. Unfortunately, she didn’t make the Pan Am team but confesses to begging McDonald for the chance to train with her in Sun Valley, Idaho.

“I knew that the next year was going to be pretty intense, and she welcomed me in,” Perry-Glass said. “Within a year, training really hard, she got me on the Olympic team. It’s pretty impressive to say that someone can do that, coach-wise.”

Lots of kids dream of competing in the Olympics, but it’s hard to comprehend the cost until it happens for you.

“It is a lot of sacrifice,” Perry-Glass said. “It’s nice for people to know that these athletes who go to the Olympics are in everyday training, whether it means physical training, emotional training. You know, all the psychology around it. We’re training constantly, and it’s also a lot of sacrifice for a family.”

Surprisingly, in her formative years, Perry-Glass was a homebody. She never relished going too far away from her parents. Nevertheless, she was the first of the six kids to leave home and now travels around the world. She knew this had to happen if she was to achieve her goals, and as a result, she moved to Spokane, Wash.

“I loved the idea of a new place,” Perry-Glass said. “Something inside me just clicked.”

Still, leaving home was a sacrifice for both Perry-Glass and her family. She only saw them if they were able to attend a show, or on the off occasion when she would make it home for Christmas.

“It’s a lot of sacrifice to train for that goal, but it’s well worth it,” Perry-Glass said. “It pays off in the long run. Any dedication like that pays off.”

She speaks glowingly of her family, referring to them as “Team Believe,” a motto they adopted when she first started competing. The family’s focused attention over the last four years has been on her. According to Perry-Glass, there’s no question in her mind that “Team Believe” shares the same goals.

“We really push ourselves as a family. We push ourselves to be better people and to really fight for what we want and to really believe in ourselves.” Perry-Glass said.

The dedication and sacrifice required to succeed was passed down from her parents. Her mother is a constant champion for the importance of believing in oneself, and her father, a psychologist, once played Major League Baseball.

“It’s a little bit different in this sport, because a lot of people don’t really have that, and I feel really lucky,” Perry-Glass said of her family’s involvement. “They keep me balanced.”

Her parents and siblings aren’t her only cheerleaders. Married two years ago, Perry-Glass said that her husband, Dana, keeps her grounded.

Glass also works with horses and helps to run a family business in Colorado where the couple met. “He knows the idea around the sport and the discipline,” Perry-Glass said. “He gives me an outside perspective of what life is like outside of the sport.”

The newlyweds are also combining their talents into a new business. Two Worlds Equestrian will encompass both the dressage and western disciplines.

2018 will be Perry-Glass’ fourth season in Wellington, where she lives close to the show grounds.

“I can get into a class or just get some extra training there,” she said. “It sets you up very nicely for other venues and gets you the mileage that you need.”

Perry-Glass expects to compete in four shows this winter, two in February and two in March.

Her long-term goals are more personal. “I really want to have a family. It is very important for my husband and I,” Perry-Glass said. “We want to have at least two kids. As of right now, that’s my other dream and goal.”

Learn more about Kasey Perry-Glass at www.kaseyperrydressage.com.

‘Modern Essayist’ J.C. James
Wellington Man Creates Art Through Unique Wordcraft

There are times when something so momentous has happened, so joyous or so devastating, that we find it difficult to put into words. We want to commemorate the event but don’t know where to begin.

That’s where Wellington resident J.C. James comes in. James is a modern essayist — perhaps the only one of his kind. He will interview you, research the event, draw upon artistic inspiration, compose the story in a style he calls “sophisticated rhyme,” then present you with a “Gift of Authenticity” — his words on a gallery-quality display.

James has written more than 1,000 tributes, some of them for notable names such as golfers Sergio Garcia and Ernie Els, the late women’s polo pioneer Sunny Hale, and even Arrogate, the Louisiana racehorse that won the Dubai World Cup last March. Sometimes, the tributes are for public display but, more often, they are intensely personal, destined to remain in the family as treasured heirlooms.

Writing other people’s stories wasn’t originally James’ calling. Born in Brisbane, Australia in 1969, he came to the United States in the summer of 2000 as a youth soccer coach. Over the next 10 years, he also did some playing, and that meant a lot of travel. When he wasn’t on the field, James found himself waxing philosophical.

“I got reflective,” he said. “I began writing a few little things, and they started coming out in rhyme with a level of sophistication to them. I continued on from that point. Little stories would enter my mind. One turned into two, two turned into four, and pretty soon I had a collection. A few people I shared them with were very supportive and encouraging. They liked the perspective and introspection.”

In those early days, he was writing material from his own head — personal experiences and observations. He was encouraged to publish a collection of those short stories and short rhymes. His first book was published in 2004 by Publish America.

“It was a traditional book, marketed and distributed by them,” James said. “Make no mistake, it was a little cutesy book, but it kept me encouraged. Around 2007 to 2008 is when I started writing stories that were more specific for people. It took the focus off me having to invent things. Fortunately, I had a few private collectors. It wasn’t big rewards or large money, but it got me thinking, ‘Perhaps I have something here.’”

Clearly, he did. James’ work has gotten so popular that he has formed a company around it, Expressional Galleries, with his wife and publicist Mysdee Middleton. “It’s an interesting thing that has happened to us in the last few years,” Middleton said. “We are utilizing J.C.’s gift in a purposeful way to honor others. He captures moments, writes in sophisticated rhyme, puts an artistic spin on it.”

Clients explain their story, and James will take it from there.

“The tribute becomes a permanent reminder of a major event, because it’s a real story about real people in a real moment,” he said. “The quality of the story, coupled with the sturdy mounting system, is designed to last many, many years.”

Because each essay is a one-of-a-kind original, James copyrights the work.

“We do our research,” James said. “It’s a combination of watching visually if it’s a high-profile event, along with research done by my lovely wife.”

The Sunny Hale tribute was a good example. Composed after the top female polo player’s death last February, James said he tried to write it through the eyes of a young girl, because Hale was “a true trailblazer, a pioneer to be sure, and an inspiration to all women. She was extremely memorable and died far too young.”

Hale’s untimely death was a great loss for the polo community, he said.

“I think they lost a woman who had not yet finished her mission,” James said. “What I came to learn [through research for the essay] is that she gave so much. Her legacy continues because she established [record-keeping] bloodlines for ponies through DNA and genetics. What polo lost was her further development. Yet it was well and truly balanced out by what polo gained.”

But you don’t have to have achieved international fame to warrant a tribute by James.

“When it’s a more private tribute, for neighbors or the members of our community, I sit down with them and they relay their story to me,” he said. “The fact that we are able to make them comfortable enough to express themselves freely is the key to our success. Everything has to come from a place of honesty in order to create their ‘Gift of Authenticity.’ We interact with people on a very personal level.”

Especially if the piece is to be read aloud, James also sends an audio file of himself reading it, so people can get the pacing right. “This way they have my interpretation of their story as it was written,” he explained. “I get a lot of mileage out of the Australian accent, too. People are fond of it. And I’ve worked to develop a very steady and comfortable voice. All of my work sounds similar. There’s a rhythm and melody.”

James is comfortable growing his business slowly, primarily through word-of-mouth and his Facebook page.

“We ask our clients to pass us along in their network of friends. Growth has gone slowly, by that’s by design,” James said. “I want to develop my profile as an essayist. I’m an artist; it really is that simple. Like someone who paints original artwork, there are no reproductions. This is the medium and the method we use. The essay is written for you, about you, using a propriety method that transfers it into a finished product that we haven’t seen anybody else do. It’s a narrative of substance, written in this specialized method of sophistication.”

James enjoys living in Wellington, which he regards as a small community that appreciates good quality art, which is important to him.

Learn more about the artist at “JC JAMES Modern Essayist” on Facebook. For further information, contact Mysdee Middleton at (561) 843-4161 or mysdeemiddleton@gmail.com.

GIT Barn Solutions Helps Equestrians Keep Horse Waste Under Control

Everyone involved with horses knows that dealing with horse waste is part of the lifestyle. In fact, the more involved in the industry, the more manure there is to manage. There are glamorous facets to being an equestrian, but waste management is not one of them. Luckily, Wellington-based GIT Barn Solutions is there to help.

As they say, what goes in, must come out. And if you’re a horse owner, you know that horses can consume a huge amount of food. All that food leads to a lot of manure.

The amount of total stall waste per horse averages between 60 and 70 pounds per day — or approximately 12 tons of stall waste per year. Given that many equestrians own more than one horse, sometimes a dozen or more, you’re talking about a big problem. What do you do about that pile of waste? You call in the experts.

GIT Barn Solutions will travel to your barn and relieve you of the problem. They have the shovels, the containers, the trucks, conveyor belts, gigantic troughs and transport vehicles. They have everything you need to properly dispose of equine waste without the hassle. Best of all, they’re just a phone call away.

And when it comes to horse waste, GIT Barn Solutions is one of the leading players in the industry, offering a new manure solution with closed, non-leaking containers that are better looking and keep flies away.

Beginning in November 2015, GIT was contracted to remove manure from the thoroughbred racetrack Gulfstream Park West and its associated training center Palm Meadows which, together, attract 1,500 horses each winter. The owner of the company, Giuseppe Iadisernia, an Italian-American breeder of Thoroughbreds headquartered in Ocala, visited Wellington later that year and saw loose manure piled in bins, attracting flies and other insects.

As a horseman himself, Iadisernia could calculate the significant amount of waste the Village of Wellington needed to manage in order to protect the water and the land from contamination. He found himself asking, “How is it that such splendid properties do not have a better system to take care of livestock waste?”

By January 2016, GIT Barn Solutions was operating in the Wellington area, setting up new administrative headquarters on Fairlane Farms Road. To allow for its future development, the company recently acquired the entire property.

Three managers keep things running smoothly — Freddy Sanchez (general manager), George Falcon (sales) and Brad Smith (operations).

Also integral to the business are its four Mack garbage trucks, capable of handling 12 tons of manure; two delivery trucks for containers and shavings; and one dump truck. Their service area of 225 clients extends from Miami-Dade north to Palm Beach County. But that’s in human terms. The number of horses served is 1,200 in July, soaring to 2,500 in the March high season. An expansion into equestrian-friendly Palm City is next on the radar screen.

As an essential part of its business plan, GIT Barn Solutions also recently developed a shavings factory in Leesburg, located between Orlando and Ocala. By offering both clean shavings and manure removal, the company has been able to reduce prices — and headaches — for clients who need both services.

GIT Barn Solutions is also sure that the manure is disposed of properly. The company works closely with U.S. Sugar and McGill, but a transfer facility project will soon enable them to ship a vast amount of manure to Ocala for recycling.

After all, it turns out that one man’s trash is truly another man’s treasure.

GIT Barn Solutions is located at 3080 Fairlane Farms Road, Suite 1, in Wellington. For more information, call (561) 600-3407 or visit www.gitbarn.com.

On Your Wedding Day… You Will Make Memories To Share For A Lifetime!

From the first step down the aisle to the last kiss of the evening, your wedding day will be the highlight of your love story — one that will be shared with generations to come. In this special bridal issue, we asked four couples to “Tell Us Your Wedding Story.” We wanted to give our readers a peek into how the featured bride and groom’s magical day came together. Our hope is that by sharing their story, detailing their journey to the altar, you will find some inspiration when planning your special day.

Jessica & Matthew

Said I Do – March 11, 2017

The most magical moment was definitely the proclaiming of our wedding vows. Not only were they beautiful but, fully understanding the meaning and saying them from the heart, it was incredible. We were so grateful to be committing to one another forever before God, and to be sharing that moment with our friends and family.”

 

It was the intervention of matchmaking friends that led to the happy union of Jessica and Matthew Leow.

“We met for the first time at the old Wellington Community Center,” recalled Jessica, who won the annual Wellington Idol musical competition in 2014. “I was singing the national anthem for a 9/11 memorial tribute. Our two mutual friends were coming to watch and brought Matthew along to meet me. Afterward, we went to Olive Garden for dinner and Friendly’s for ice cream.”

It was the best kind of blind date.

“I knew that Matthew was the one after just a couple of dates,” Jessica said.

It didn’t take long for Matthew to feel the same.

“I knew Jessica was the one after a month of knowing her,” he said. “At that point, I was asking her to be my official girlfriend, and I just knew that I wanted to marry her.”

He didn’t waste any time.

“Matthew took me to the beach on Palm Beach to watch the sun rise and proposed to me as the sun rose above the ocean,” Jessica remembered.

The wedding was held on March 11, 2017 at Family Church in downtown West Palm Beach, with a reception to follow at, of course, the new Wellington Community Center.

Since their first meeting, the old building had been replaced with a completely new building featuring a ballroom overlooking beautiful Lake Wellington.

Photographers Timothy Pereira and Gene Potter worked alongside videographer Sean Plank to capture every moment. Jessica’s dress was an Alfred Angelo design, and Kristina Pereira served as the maid of honor with Timothy Leow as the best man.

But for all the fancy invitations, flowers and food; for all the planning, scheduling and hiring; for all the excitement that arrives with a very exciting day, their vows were the most important part for the couple.

“The most magical moment for us was definitely the proclaiming of our wedding vows,” Jessica said. “Not only were they beautiful but, fully understanding the meaning and saying them from the heart, it was incredible. We were so grateful to be committing to one another forever before God, and to be sharing that moment with our friends and family.”

The calmness of the ocean sunrise was one part of their journey. Coming full circle with a reception at the Wellington Community Center was another.

Friends and family were involved so much of their relationship, but following the wedding, they choose an out-of-the-way place for their honeymoon.

“We honeymooned in Helen, Ga.,” Jessica said. “We rented a cabin in the Blue Ridge Mountains.”

Friends and family were not around this time. Matthew was on his own. And that was just fine with him because, as Brad Paisley so eloquently put it during the couple’s first dance as husband and wife, “She’s Everything.”

Daniella & Danny

Said I Do – October 10, 2015

“Working together, helping each other, showing patience, laughing at ourselves — it drew us closer together. Knowing we had this special surprise for the wedding gave us something to be so excited about. Then, going out there on our wedding day and performing that dance was the most magical moment for us.”

Happy couple Daniella and Danny came together through an online dating success story. While they eventually met for the first time at Bull Bar, it was a more family-oriented atmosphere that sealed the deal.

The couple had been dating for two years, approaching with caution, as each had been married previously. But it was at home, surrounded by their children, that Danny surprised Daniella with a proposal.

“He cooked dinner for the whole family — his famous spaghetti and spicy meatballs — and, as he served my plate, he got down on one knee and, in front of all the children, he asked me to spend the rest of my life with him,” Daniella recalled. “After two years, that was the first time he cooked for me!”

However, the proposal was a bit bittersweet. Daniella’s mother would not be in attendance at the wedding. She had died suddenly from pancreatic cancer just before Daniella and Danny first met.

“Danny knew how sad I was that she didn’t get a chance to meet him, and that she wouldn’t be there to be a part of our day,” Daniella said. “So, he and my wedding planner, Jackie Bressler Events, found a picture of my mother and put it in a gold heart locket that they attached to my bridal bouquet. They presented it to me at my rehearsal during an emotional moment.”

The wedding ceremony took place on Oct. 10, 2015, and was captured on film and video by Andreo Studio Photography & Cinematography. It took place on the lawn at Suri West in Wellington with the reception following in the Suri West ballroom.

The bride wore a gown by Sophia Tolle and was attended by Maid of Honor Kristina Hollister. Jaimie Saldana served as Daniel’s best man. A honeymoon in Las Vegas followed.

But the hardest-won victory — and most pleasurable moment for the couple — came after the ceremony, in the ballroom.

“The most important highlight was our wedding dance as husband and wife,” Daniella said. “I love to dance, and due to the fact that my father was pretty good at ballroom dancing, Danny wasn’t so confident that he would be able to pull that off.”

The couple had chosen Ed Sheeran’s “Thinking Out Loud” for their first dance together, and for 10 weeks, the couple worked with a local dance choreographer to get their moves just right.

Keeping their skill levels in mind, the choreographer put together a dance custom-designed just for Daniella and Danny.

“Working together, helping each other, showing patience, laughing at ourselves — it drew us closer together,” Daniella recalled. “Knowing we had this special surprise for the wedding gave us something to be so excited about. Then, going out there on our wedding day and performing that dance was the most magical moment for us. We were nervous, but so proud of what we accomplished together!””

Kerstin & Rick

Said I Do – Jan. 7, 2017

“I was beginning to get stressed when his grandmother gave me a gift from him. It was a beautiful Tiffany pendant necklace with two hearts and my new monogram engraved on the back. He also wrote a touching note to his ‘new wife’ that made me feel better and know that everything was going to be OK.”

Kerstin and Rick Villano were just teenagers when they first met at Wellington’s Cold Stone Creamery. Both were working there after school and on weekends. Kerstin was 16, and Rick was 17. Unlike many high school romances, theirs stuck.

Years went by and Kerstin and Rick were still going strong. But when did she realize that they were destined to be together forever?

“He took me to the Keys a few years back,” Kerstin recalled. “The entire trip was packed with tons of fun activities he had planned for us. During a sunset cruise we went on, I remember looking at him and thinking that I just knew.”

Rick entered the military, and Kerstin went on to college. It was a trying time, with such distance between them.

“Rick was stationed in New York, and I was finishing up my bachelor’s degree in Florida,” Kerstin said. “We often had to go months at a time without seeing each other.”

One Christmas, unbeknownst to Kerstin, Rick came home. “My family and I went to lunch at Ta-boo. After lunch, we walked down to the clock tower, and he was there, waiting,” Melissa said of Rick’s unexpected proposal. “Both of our families were there to capture and share the moment with us. It was very special because that was the same place my dad proposed to my mom.”

Kerstin chose a wedding dress by Alfred Angelo. “It was actually the very first dress I tried on,” she said. “I knew it was the perfect one immediately.”

They wed on Jan. 7, 2017 with both the ceremony and reception taking place at the Playa Largo Resort in Key Largo.

“We were getting ready for the ceremony, and my nerves were getting the best of me,” Kirsten said. “I was beginning to get stressed when his grandmother gave me a gift from him. It was a beautiful Tiffany pendant necklace with two hearts and my new monogram engraved on the back. He also wrote a touching note to his ‘new wife’ that made me feel better and know that everything was going to be OK.”

Alexandra Bannon was Kirsten’s maid of honor, while Rick’s younger brother Nick Villano served as best man. The couple’s first dance was to “From the Ground Up” by Dan + Shay, but it was the mother/son and father/daughter dances that caused the most buzz. “He asked his mom to pick the mother-son dance song, and I asked my dad to pick the father-daughter song,” Kirsten said. “Without knowing, they both picked the same song! It was ‘My Wish’ by Rascal Flatts.”

Stacia Morgan did an amazing job as the wedding photographer, and when it came time to plan a honeymoon, Rick’s parents stepped in with an offer the couple could not refuse.

“His family sent us to Europe. We spent a couple of weeks in France, Spain and Italy,” Kirsten said. “Hands down, our favorite part was seeing the Amalfi Coast in Italy — heaven on earth with the decadent gelato, giant yellow lemons bigger than your head, and the smell of the leather goods.”

Melissa &Christopher

Said I Do – July 15, 2017

The best moment of the day was, during the reception, looking out and seeing all our guests; and subsequently partying with them on the dance floor, at the bar

and in the photo booth. There’s nothing better than having all the people you love in one room.”

John Lennon once sang, “Nothing’s Gonna Change My World,” but today, the world of technology has changed everything. In the case of Melissa and her new husband Christopher, it was responsible for bringing them together — through an online dating site. After analyzing each other’s photographs and typing thousands of characters, the two knew it was time to meet face-to-face.

“We first met at a coffee shop for the typical ‘screener date,’ as we like to call it,” Melissa recalled. “It was the most easy-going date I had ever been on.”

That feeling of comfort and familiarity led to an ever-growing closeness between them. “It also doesn’t hurt that we share a love of movies that borders on obsessive,” Melissa noted.

Yet she never experienced an “ah-ha” moment in which she knew that Christopher was “the one.”

“It was just something that happened over time,” she said. “As we kept dating and got to know each other, we realized that we had similar values, a similar sense of humor and made a great partnership.”

Christopher felt the same way but, when he suddenly popped the question, Melissa was caught off guard.

“We were hanging out at his place,” Melissa recalled. “He was working in one room, and I had just finished some online shopping in the other. He came out of the room, held my hand and started giving a speech from one of my favorite movies. I recognized it right away, and eventually noticed how uncharacteristically nervous he was. He finished his speech, asked the question and put the ring on my finger. I was so surprised! We had talked about getting married, but I did not see the proposal coming.”

Melissa and Christopher were married at the Wellington National Golf Club on July 15, 2017, with Melissa’s sisters Stephanie Marty and Kimberly Lee as bridesmaids, and Parry Silcox as best man. The bride wore a gown designed by Oleg Cassini and carried a rosary wrapped around the stems of her bouquet.

“It was my ‘something blue.’ My godmother gave it to me, and she passed away before the wedding, so it was also a way to remember her,” Melissa said.

Photographer Isabel Belfor captured all their special moments — from their first dance to “Le Vie en Rose” by Louis Armstrong, to the Chinese lion dancers at the start of the reception.

“Our bridal party entered first and the performers entered as we did,” Melissa said. “It was our big surprise moment of the reception, and everyone loved it.”

Their honeymoon included a road trip to Orlando, St. Augustine and Charleston, S.C., but for Melissa, the reception will always remain one of her brightest memories.

“The best moment of the day was, during the reception, looking out and seeing all our guests; and subsequently partying with them on the dance floor, at the bar and in the photo booth,” she said. “There’s nothing better than having all the people you love in one room.”